TITLE:
Determinants of Academic Performance in Private Non-Religious Secondary Education: Evidence from Côte d’Ivoire
AUTHORS:
Math Adjoua N'Zué Koménan, Félix Fofana N’Zué
KEYWORDS:
Academic Performance, Private Secondary Education, Gender, Teacher Incentives, Educational Production Function, Côte d’Ivoire, Sub-Saharan Africa
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
28,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study examines the determinants of academic performance in private non-religious secondary schools in Côte d’Ivoire using administrative data from all Regional Directorates of National Education and Literacy (DRENAs) for the 2020/2021 academic year. Based on the educational production function framework, it analyzes the relationship between school infrastructure, student composition, pedagogical organization, teacher characteristics, and success rates in the BEPC and Baccalaureate examinations. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and fractional logit estimates show that higher private schools density, higher student-to-teacher ratio (particularly at the upper-secondary level), and higher student-to-number of pedagogical groups ratio are negatively associated with academic performance. Higher female student-to-total number of students, is positively associated with academic performance. Teacher employment status also matters, with higher contractual teacher-to-total number of teachers ratio showing positive associations with examination outcomes. Whereas the ratios of permanent and civil servant teachers over total number of teachers are negatively associated with academic performance. The findings highlight the importance of quality assurance, effective school organization, girls’ education, and teacher management policies in improving educational outcomes.